"Was never pain-free"

The heel again! Ofner has to end his season

Sebastian Ofner has to end his season.(Bild: AFP/MATTHEW STOCKMAN)

It was to be feared after the cancellation for Vienna, now it's official: Sebastian Ofner has to end his season. The Austrian tennis pro explained that his left heel has been causing him severe pain again for weeks. "It even hurts when I walk around the apartment," said the Styrian.

He had fought his way back brilliantly this year after the heel operations, for example by reaching the third round at Wimbledon. But now Ofner opened up: "I had problems all year, I never played without pain." 

Ofi repeatedly resorted to painkillers. He tried to relieve his heel, which also caused wrist problems. In the last few months, however, it became too much. It had already been hard to bear in North America, but not at all in Shanghai and Stockholm. "My body showed me that I couldn't do it anymore," said Ofner, who is suffering from bone marrow edema in his heel with intense leg skin irritation. 

Ofi is having a hard time.(Bild: APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER)

Possible MRI therapy
He now has to take a break for at least a month and a half. If it is due to bone marrow edema, he also wants to try MRI therapy. "Good results have already been achieved with this," says Ofner, who hopes to be able to attack again at the start of next season.

The Styrian hasn't given a second thought to ending his career. "At 29, I'm still far too young for that. Bone marrow edema also heals at some point, it just takes time," says Ofner optimistically. But he will have to fight his way back for the third time in as many years, probably from a place between 150 and 200.

No "protected ranking"
 Ofi would only be eligible for a "protected ranking" this time if he were to miss at least six months again, the minimum break for such an arrangement. And with his current ranking of 138th, he wouldn't get into any major tournaments anyway. "But that's not a plan at the moment, I hope to be playing again much sooner."